The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-09-16

| SHE MOUNTED CHAIR.
l could not get the woman out of m
head that night. Her great solemn
eyes haunted me, and in my dreams
discovered all manner of reasons 70
the hunted look in them-and methO,
of removing it and putting a perma
nent one of peace and happines
there instead also, 1 am ashame,
to say. We all four aros
early, aud at clock that afternoon
after an atfectionate farewell to Spell
man and Alf. Fred and l, each astrid,
of a sturdy animal, set forth upon on
journey.
1t was growing dusk when. fifteel
miles out of the city, we sighted soil
tary equestrian ahead of us. Please,
at the prospect of company, We quick
ened our pace. and what was our as
constituent to discover, in the rathe
ratty hOrseman whom we present.,
drew alongside of, our tavern song
stress of the night before. She wa
dressed in a closely fitting suit of darl
grey. extremitied with pair of natty
riding boots, and she must have no
ticed the admiring chances bestowed
by my companion and myself on hel
trim little figure, for she flushed deeply
as she saluted us. She evidently recog.
nized us
This is great relief to me. gentle.
men," she said, with downward
droop of the white eyelitls that set my
pulses going with abnormal rapidity,
''but you see 1 had to make the journey
alone, and this" touching a trim little
boot with her light whip. '.was the
only way in which 1 could do it with
safety. You will not betray me, will
you?''
''Betray you!' we both echoed
breathlessly, stupefied with admiration
of the little woman's pluck, '.We'lr'-
but never mind what we said. We
swore that she shouldn't know single
hardship on the journey. and the smile
and hand-pressurc we each got in re-
turn more than repaid us for the sacri-
flee we knew we were making.
1t is unnecessary to recount the de-
tails of the journey. At night the lit
tie woman slept on bed of moss and
leaves in our one tent while we rolled
ourselves in our blankets and slept I'M
der the stars. She got the tid-bits of
the provisions and thanked us between
every snap of her white teeth for what
she termed our "heavenly kindness.
Fred and l never discussed her; she
was rather tender point between us,
but the way we We'd with each
other in the attentions we be-
slowed on her would have plainly
showed an unprejudiced observer
that we were equally smitten. So the
days and nights passed. until our des-
tinatiOn was reached.
1t was not a big! camp. Something
like one hundred and fifty men had To-
Gated on the banks of little stream,
and though our arrival was regarded
with some little jealousy, our reception
was fairly cordial, as such receptions
go. Our charge lost no time in max
ing inquiries, and when she heard that
such Il person as she described as her
brother had not been seen or heard of,
she took to her tent and spent her days
in weeping and repining. Fred and l
lost no time in getting to work. how
ever, and to make long story shorter.
our luck was simply marvellous. We
''struck it, the very first day. and our
''fnds" kept increasing in number and
wealth. After week or ten days our
fair friend-whose sex remained plo-
found secret in the camp. the young
lady passing as my younger brother
on coming to work with US,
and developed a remarkable facility
for discovering the precious grains.
Her smooth. daintily-tapering fingers
soon became rs brown and begrimed
As our own, Notwithstanding the vigor-
Gus protests of Fred and myself as to
the sacrilege of such thing. and in
another week or SO she had evidently
forgotten all about her brother. and
had become rs expert and thirsty a
yold-miner as either of us.
Meanwhile the presence of this beau
tiful creature was exercising an insu-
ence over us, the strength of which we
we're both unaware. 1t was not until
,ne night l discovered Fred glaring
at me from a corner
where he was lying. as after hard
lays work was sitting on an empty
barrel in the tent with the young lady's
land clasped fraternally in both my
,wn that l begun to realize it all.
t grew worse after that. Our
.uest-and 1 say it in no spirit of
'anity-evidenced something of q pref
.rence for me-but let that pass. Fred
rev sulkily after that and several
lines we checked ourselves ON the
rink of a quarrel But just as we had
ucceeded in making ourselves as thor /
n yhly uncomfortable as two foolish fel-
ows will under such circumstances, the
,retext for disputing was suddenly re-
moved. We awoke one morning to |
ind all trace of our fair guest depart
d, save q little note. in delicate |!